Ranking The NL East: Second Basemen

Sep 19, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets second baseman

(28) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

2. Daniel Murphy (New York Mets)

The Met second baseman, who was one of the names linked in trade rumors with the Nationals at the trade deadline last year, is slowly becoming one of the better offensive second baseman in the game. While defense holds Murphy back to a degree, the 29-year old is looking to have a good season as he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2015 season.

Last season, Murphy hit .289 with nine home runs and 57 RBI’s in 143 games. Murphy had 172 hits and has been in the top ten in hits for the National League each of the last two years. His .OPS of .734 last season was ninth among second baseman in the majors for that category.

Since hitting .320 in 2011, Murphy has been a constant in terms of a solid batting average, hitting .285 in each of the past three seasons. He is also durable in terms of games played. He has played over 140 games in each of the past three seasons.

The problem for the second baseman who is going into his seventh season is his defense. Murphy led all National League second baseman in errors and was second in that category during the previous two seasons.

When you take a look at the Fangraphs projections, Murphy’s average is predicted to drop 12 points from .289 to .277 with the on-base percentage at .320. The WAR projection of 1.3 would be his lowest WAR total since 2008, when he played 49 games in his first year. Murphy has his defensive issues, but if he continues his offensive success, it could bring him a nice raise on his next contract.

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